Brock Lamb’s future at the Newcastle Knights has been the centre of plenty of conjecture this season following the club’s recruitment of Mitchell Pearce and Connor Watson. His management rejected an informal one year $250,000 offer from the Knights a couple of games into the season to chase bigger riches and a greater opportunity elsewhere but after he was denied a mid-season release to join Manly, the interest in him dried up with the Eels pulling a $105,000 one year deal a few weeks back. Languishing for much of the season in NSW Cup and struggling for form, even in that grade, hasn’t help his cause. But it appears all is not lost for the Maitland Pickers junior. We are hearing the Sydney Roosters, who look like losing Cooper Cronk’s back-up halfback Sean O’Sullivan to the Brisbane Broncos, are now seriously looking at him. So much so, Roosters coach Trent Robinson has been making subtle inquiries about Lamb behind the scenes. Interestingly, there are those at the Knights who privately believe a change of clubs is in his best interest. There is an element of truth in the Knights being linked to Wigan’s international five-eighth George Williams. Coach Nathan Brown apparently likes him but the small matter of him being contracted for two more years plus a hefty transfer fee is understandably a major stumbling block. Jamie Buhrer has been cagey about his future at the Knights beyond the end of this season but take it from us he’ll definitely be at the club in 2019. One of the Knights most popular and respected figures, we’re told the guarantee of a new deal was made to Buhrer weeks ago, even if he failed to play the required number of games to activate an option in his contract for next season which he will. Young prop Pasami Saulo joined a long list of Brian Carlson Club medal winners to have graduated to the NRL when he debuted against the Warriors last night. Each year, the club presents the Andrew Johns Medal to the S G Ball Under 18’s Player of the Year and have a great strike-rate when it comes to their medal recipients cracking first grade. Saulo won the award in 2016 with Mathew Croker [2017] and Jaron Purcell [last year] the latest winners. In one of the more remarkable stats pointed out to us by Mitchell Pearce this week, Shaun Kenny-Dowall beat his Knights teammate to the 250 NRL game milestone by a week after the pair debuted for the Sydney Roosters a week apart 12 seasons ago back in 2007. Current Tongan coach Kristian Woolf remains the frontrunner to land an assistant coaching role at the Knights in 2019 with Mick Potter set to finish up. We revealed a fortnight ago that Woolf, head coach of the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup, was interviewed for the defensive coaching role when the Knights played the Cowboys in Townsville and he flew down to Newcastle for a second interview last weekend. He is set to be offered a contract next week and we’re told he is the preferred candidate after the club’s initial target, Jason Ryles, opted at the last minute to remain at the Melbourne Storm. There will be a further shake-up in the football department at the Knights with highly respected head of high performance Tony Ayoub set to part company at the end of the season and return to Sydney full-time. Lakes United officials will interview five coaching applicants today to take over from the departing Todd Edwards in the Real NRL next season. We haven’t seen the shortlist but we suspect life member and former premiership winner Glenn Agland will take plenty of beating. Is there a better coach in any domestic footy code in Newcastle than Edgeworth’s Premier League soccer mentor Damian Zane? Remarkably, despite losing most of his squad from last season, Zane has the Eagles on the cusp of a fourth straight premiership win with two rounds left. Missing from last season are Brody Taylor, Keano Moore, Lachlan Pasquale, Ayden Bryce, Kieran Sanders, Aden Gardner, Keigo Moriyasu and Nate Cavaliere while veteran striker Daniel McBreen has played fewer games this season. Former Mariner Josh Rose has been his only major signing yet Zane’s squad of developing youngsters have still managed to deliver for the club in a great advertisement of his coaching skills. What must officials at much bigger-spending rival clubs be thinking? Who was the local NPL soccer player who threatened to punch a female spectator in the face last weekend, telling her, “Good luck woman, I’ll spread your nose” after copping some sideline abuse? Someone in his profession should be careful what he says, particularly close to a sideline microphone.

TOOHEY'S NEWS | Sydney Roosters are looking at Brock Lamb as a potential back-up for Cooper Cronk next season

Brock Lamb’s future at the Newcastle Knights has been the centre of plenty of conjecture this season following the club’s recruitment of Mitchell Pearce and Connor Watson.

His management rejected an informal one year $250,000 offer from the Knights a couple of games into the season to chase bigger riches and a greater opportunity elsewhere but after he was denied a mid-season release to join Manly, the interest in him dried up with the Eels pulling a $105,000 one year deal a few weeks back.

Languishing for much of the season in NSW Cup and struggling for form, even in that grade, hasn’t help his cause.

But it appears all is not lost for the Maitland Pickers junior.

Brock Lamb

We are hearing the Sydney Roosters, who look like losing Cooper Cronk’s back-up halfback Sean O’Sullivan to the Brisbane Broncos, are now seriously looking at him.

So much so, Roosters coach Trent Robinson has been making subtle inquiries about Lamb behind the scenes. Interestingly, there are those at the Knights who privately believe a change of clubs is in his best interest.

Wigan rumour

There is an element of truth in the Knights being linked to Wigan’s international five-eighth George Williams.

George Williams

Coach Nathan Brown apparently likes him but the small matter of him being contracted for two more years plus a hefty transfer fee is understandably a major stumbling block.

Buhrer to stay

Jamie Buhrer has been cagey about his future at the Knights beyond the end of this season but take it from us he’ll definitely be at the club in 2019.

One of the Knights most popular and respected figures, we’re told the guarantee of a new deal was made to Buhrer weeks ago, even if he failed to play the required number of games to activate an option in his contract for next season which he will.

Jamie Buhrer

Club graduate

Young prop Pasami Saulo joined a long list of Brian Carlson Club medal winners to have graduated to the NRL when he debuted against the Warriors last night.

Each year, the club presents the Andrew Johns Medal to the S G Ball Under 18’s Player of the Year and have a great strike-rate when it comes to their medal recipients cracking first grade.

Saulo won the award in 2016 with Mathew Croker [2017] and Jaron Purcell [last year] the latest winners.

Pasami Saulo

Amazing stat

In one of the more remarkable stats pointed out to us by Mitchell Pearce this week, Shaun Kenny-Dowall beat his Knights teammate to the 250 NRL game milestone by a week after the pair debuted for the Sydney Roosters a week apart 12 seasons ago back in 2007.

Knights to snare Woolf

Current Tongan coach Kristian Woolf remains the frontrunner to land an assistant coaching role at the Knights in 2019 with Mick Potter set to finish up.

We revealed a fortnight ago that Woolf, head coach of the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup, was interviewed for the defensive coaching role when the Knights played the Cowboys in Townsville and he flew down to Newcastle for a second interview last weekend.

Kristian Woolf

He is set to be offered a contract next week and we’re told he is the preferred candidate after the club’s initial target, Jason Ryles, opted at the last minute to remain at the Melbourne Storm.

There will be a further shake-up in the football department at the Knights with highly respected head of high performance Tony Ayoub set to part company at the end of the season and return to Sydney full-time.

Seagulls coach

Lakes United officials will interview five coaching applicants today to take over from the departing Todd Edwards in the Real NRL next season.

We haven’t seen the shortlist but we suspect life member and former premiership winner Glenn Agland will take plenty of beating.

Zane shows up big-spenders

Is there a better coach in any domestic footy code in Newcastle than Edgeworth’s Premier League soccer mentor Damian Zane?

Remarkably, despite losing most of his squad from last season, Zane has the Eagles on the cusp of a fourth straight premiership win with two rounds left.

Damian Zane

Missing from last season are Brody Taylor, Keano Moore, Lachlan Pasquale, Ayden Bryce, Kieran Sanders, Aden Gardner, Keigo Moriyasu and Nate Cavaliere while veteran striker Daniel McBreen has played fewer games this season.

Former Mariner Josh Rose has been his only major signing yet Zane’s squad of developing youngsters have still managed to deliver for the club in a great advertisement of his coaching skills.

What must officials at much bigger-spending rival clubs be thinking?

Poor punchline

Who was the local NPL soccer player who threatened to punch a female spectator in the face last weekend, telling her, “Good luck woman, I’ll spread your nose” after copping some sideline abuse?

Someone in his profession should be careful what he says, particularly close to a sideline microphone.